The BTN bus has left Rutgers , and now it’s time to share some news, notes and nuggets I gathered while watching the Scarlet Knights. This is a roster that looks more Big Ten-caliber than last year. Even better: Rutgers seems to understand what it is: a tough, physical team that will have to out work and out hit teams to win. On offense, the Scarlet Knights want to go downhill and wear down foes. They have the line and backs to do it. Kyle Flood has his players buying into that mentality. This looks like another bowl team if

The annual summer trek through Big Ten country continues as the 11th stop on our tour brought us to Rutgers where we watched the Scarlet Knights scrimmage Saturday night. Here are the fives things I learned at Rutgers. 1. The defensive line should be good. End Kemoko Turay was a revelation last season in his debut, but he missed Saturday’s scrimmage with injury. Senior Darius Hamilton, who could be one of the best tackles in the Big Ten, also didn’t play Saturday. He lacks great bulk but is quick off the ball. RU needs both of these guys 100 percent.

Defending champs Ohio State is the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll in the history of the poll, which dates back to 1950. The Buckeyes got 61 first-place votes from the media panel in the rankings released Sunday. Michigan State is ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, one spot up from the Spartans’ No. 6 ranking in the Coaches’ poll. Wisconsin rounds out the Big Ten teams in the AP poll at No. 20. The full poll is here. Our Summer Football Tour stops in Columbus on Monday with full coverage on BTN

So, what does Ohio State do for an encore coming off a stunning 14-1 national championship season? How about winning another crown? The reigning kings of college football have it all going on, as Urban Meyer features a loaded roster. Will this team lose a game this season? Hmmmm. Some issues may arise to derail the mighty Buckeyes. Here are three things I’ll be watching Monday at practice. 1. How do the quarterbacks look? This is obvious, right? I mean, no position in America has been scrutinized more that the Ohio State quarterback spot. Junior Cardale Jones and sophomore J.T.

For people who don’t live there, “diversity” might not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of Nebraska. But the Cornhusker State’s population is changing so rapidly that its flagship university has started a movement to tackle minority health concerns. University of Nebraska sociology professor Kirk Dombrowski is at the center of that movement. As the head of the school’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI), he isn’t afraid to immerse himself in the communities he’s serving — or, on occasion, in a dunk tank. Dombrowski found himself in that unique situation because he was taking part

The BTN bus has left Maryland, and now it’s time to share some nuggets I gathered while watching the Terrapins scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Byrd Stadium. [ MORE: 5 things Tom Dienhart learned | See our Maryland tweets ] Senior Brandon Ross and junior Wes Brown are battling to see who will be the No. 1 running back. Each took turns rotating today. Ross limits mistakes, which is a trait the staff likes. Brown is a physical specimen who is still looking to hit his stride. Is either a top back? Depth was hurt when Jacquille Veii and Albert Reid

In this day and age, the Internet regularly creates overnight sensations. Seemingly obscure, novel people and products can collect thousands of backers, customers and fans in a matter of hours if they attract the right kind of attention on sites like YouTube, Kickstarter, Twitter and Facebook. Northwestern University instructor and inventor Nick Marchuk benefited from this phenomenon when the nScope, a device he developed with fellow NU lecturer David Meyer, went viral in late 2013. Interestingly, the product took off when the website Hackaday featured a different tool developed by Northwestern engineering professor Michael Peshkin. A version of the NScope

Rutgers begins its second season in the Big Ten. But, some big issues hang over Kyle Flood’s program. The team is breaking in a new quarterback. How will that go? There also is a new offensive coordinator. And the secondary is being re-worked. Here are three things I will be watching at Rutgers practice. 1. What is the offensive identity? Rutgers is on its sixth offensive coordinator in six years, with Ben McDaniels now pushing the buttons on the offense. Don’t expect a radical difference, as the Scarlet Knights figure to be built around the run to help buffer the